October 25, 2008 - 11:23am
Hello everyone, I apologize for the length of my post but I need some help and would greatly appreciate any feedback. I am a chronic pain patient as I fractured my back(L1) and herniated several disks in an accident. I also have spinal stenosis and nerve damage. I was prescribed 180 roxi. 30 mg and 60 Oxycontin 40 mg per mo. This worked well for me and I had no problems. Eventually I had to change Dr. because of insurance. My new Dr. does not believe break through pain exists so prescribes no er meds. In addition to losing all the Oxy, he cut roxi dose in half. Needless to say, I am not getting along. I have been on one form of oxy since 2003 and have built qiute a tolerance. I don't want to become addicted so I only take the meds 2 a day. I feel like I am on a constant roller coaster. Up & down all day and it is causing severe depression as well as pain plus I always run out of meds early. Last mo. a sympathetic friend gave me some 10 mg methadone to hold me over. I took 40 mg methadone only once every 24 hrs. I cannot believe the difference. I am off the roller coaster. I have excellent pain control, do not feel high at all, and my depression is gone. I am going to try to switch Dr. since mine will not prescribe this drug. In the mean time. I am taking the methadone of my own volition and obviously w/out a Dr. I wrote this because I am concerned about all the negative things I have read about methadone. I am terrified I will die. I don't take ANY other drugs, no benzos ect. and I only take 40 mg per 24 hr. period. Am I still in danger? I had no problems last mo. for the week I took it and now 1 mo. later I am planning on taking it this week. I just want to be safe. Please do not judge me for taking this w/out a Dr. I wouldn't if I wasn't desperate. I thank you in advance for any and all replies. Take care, lil red 0005
October 25, 2008 - 12:26pm
#2
Goat, I appreciate that you
Goat, I appreciate that you can control your pain with a few percocets. However I cannot. I did not list all my back problems just the ones that came to mind in order to paint a general picture. I also had major back surgury that went awry. Plus, I mentioned in the post that I was taken off those meds and I never took that much in a mo. anyways. Pain is subjective, what hurts/helps you may be not effect someone else the same. I do not appreciate being labled an addict. I have only posted here once and will not again if I cannot come here to get advice without being called a junky. I fell off a 3 floor balcony & crushed my back. This is not a contest to see who hurts more. I do apologise if I'm being defensive but as a chronic pain patient on narcotics I suffer enough stigma. Thank you for your time. Take care, lil red 0005
October 25, 2008 - 9:43pm
#3
i did come across
a ,\little rough...you did post this though...." I feel like I am on a constant roller coaster. Up & down all day and it is causing severe depression as well as pain plus I always run out of meds early. Last mo. a sympathetic friend gave me some 10 mg methadone to hold me over"
i am not a dr but to me that looks like addiction/ i am permitted to give my view...you asked.
i have much i left out as well....its my belief that many people are too easy to say give me more drugs,more,more,more. this action if the dr follows along leads to your situation...i am not picking on you...its the drs that let people believe pills are the only answer to pain control...bless you lil red
I am not a Dr. I just play one on tv.
October 26, 2008 - 10:35am
#4
thank you
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my message and reply. Goat, you are absolutely right that you have a right to express your opinions. I can see why it would look shady that I have to get meds from friends. However, I never in 4 yrs had to do this until my new(over a yr. now) Dr. cut me back so much. I don't object to med changes as a rule, after all they are the MD not me. My problem was after many years on the same meds, I really became tolerant of oxy. What I'm trying to say is if I were an addict I would want more/only ir meds. I do not. I wanted a med change to something different or at least a er med because my serum levels are up and down. This is what I meant w/ " up and down", I don't take the meds every 4 hrs. I restrict myself to only taking it 2 a day. That is why I love the methadone. First of all no addict would go for methadone(only my opinion) because you don't get high. There is no rush. I love that I can take it once a day and my pain is completely controlled without feeling pain and w/d in 6 hrs. Once again these are only my opinions and I know it is unwise to take a med not prescribed to you. I wanted to be exceptionally cautious because of this so I reserched and asked questions. I don't have a death wish and as of next month, I am switching Dr. so I no longer have to be in this situation. I would appreciate any more info/advice on methadone and just want to say THANK YOU for your time and consideration. Take care, lil red 0005
October 26, 2008 - 1:03pm
#5
Actually methadone has abuse
Actually methadone has abuse potential just like the other schedule II opiates. Back when I was abusing opiates I would actually look for methadone because when taking 10-20mg I would get the desired effects for over 12 hours so it definitely has abuse potential.
October 26, 2008 - 2:28pm
#6
methadone
That is a big no no to take xanax with methadone. A lot of people have died here where I live taking this combination of drugs.When I was taking methadone the Dr. told me ,and reminded me all the time not to take any xanax with the methadone .
October 26, 2008 - 3:13pm
#7
Hydro, Methadone is more
Hydro, Methadone is more dangerous than all the other CII pain meds.All CII meds carry some dangers but the ones Methadone pose are more alarming than Morphine, Oxycodone, etc. Heres a statement from the FDA (found at www.fda.gov/cder) basically explaining why Methadone products now carry a Black Box warning (last step before being discontinued and the strongest warning the FDA makes a company issue):
FDA has reviewed reports of death and life-threatening side effects such as slowed or stopped breathing, and dangerous changes in heart beat in patients receiving methadone. These serious side effects may occur because methadone may build up in the body to a toxic level if it is taken too often, if the amount taken is too high, or if it is taken with certain other medicines or supplements. Methadone has specific toxic effects on the heart (QT prolongation and Torsades de Pointes). Physicians prescribing methadone should be familiar with methadone’s toxicities and unique pharmacologic properties. Methadone’s elimination half-life (8-59 hours) is longer than its duration of analgesic action (4-8 hours). Methadone doses for pain should be carefully selected and slowly titrated to analgesic effect even in patients who are opioid-tolerant. Physicians should closely monitor patients when converting them from other opioids and changing the methadone dose, and thoroughly instruct patients how to take methadone.
October 26, 2008 - 8:55pm
#8
dont be a goat
goat, so you are 100% sure you have way more damage in your back than lilred0005? interesting...considering you have never met this person and only have read one breif post that this person wrote about their back. And just b/c one person thinks they have had more damage done to their back, that doesn't mean that they are in more pain. Futhermore lilred0005 is taking just one kind of drug at a time for his/her pain. You are taking Four different meds for your pain: percocet(oxycodone/tylenol) soma, and gabapentin. Its funny that you are so quick to call somone an addict, it seems to me you are projecting your own feelings about yourself onto somone else....plus the combination of drugs you are taking is way harder on your liver/kidneys than the drugs that lilred0005 is taking....soma is very %@$$*## your liver, so is gabapentin, and so is tylenol
October 26, 2008 - 9:13pm
#9
'dones
solo, sounds like you have def. done your research on methadone. i agree w/ u 100%....i think metadone patients need to start out on a low dose (10mg) and slowly raise the dose to the desired level. and make sure to take your dose only once a day and dont take any other drugs w/ it....my friend goes to a methadone in clinic in St. George UT. he takes at least 150mg a day (if not more) from the clinic each morning...a few months ago he took a xanax before he went to the clinic, he took his dose, then left the clinic, driving his dads girlfriends car, he proceeded to pass out at the wheel (got the nod or whatever) and he hit a semi truck head on, he ended up breaking both his femurs, broke his collar bone, and had a concussion, along w/ various other injuries
October 26, 2008 - 9:34pm
#10
yea i am
110 percent sure that i am worse off...the poster detailed her problems and compared to mine...i would love to switch problems......my problem is with drs who prescribe outrageous amounts of drugs for small defects...imo.
As for calling her addicted.....explain this post they made
". I feel like I am on a constant roller coaster. Up & down all day and it is causing severe depression as well as pain plus I always run out of meds early. Last mo. a sympathetic friend gave me some 10 mg methadone to hold me over"
Like it says below i am not a dr but that sure sounds like addiction to me.
I am not a Dr. I just play one on tv.
October 26, 2008 - 10:00pm
#11
I just wanted to say that
I just wanted to say that once a day dosing is only good for maintenance therapy. When talking about methadone for pain management it needs three times per day dosing because like Solo said above it only has an analgesic half life of about 8 hours tops. Since the half life is longer it will still be in your system and prevent withdrawals like in a maintenance therapy but it only gives pain relief for 6-8hours. Also for me and my body only methadone produces a lot more sedation than say oxycodone would so it would lead to nodding out more often even at an equivalent dosing of other more common schedule II drugs. Mixing a benzo into the methadone severely increases sedation and can lead to respiratory depression/arrest.
Also to the OP....it is just stupid taking a drug for a period of time especially methadone and then after taking it to go online and ask if there is a problem taking it. If your worried at all or think it could cause harm why would you take it in the first place.....furthermore since you already took it and didnt die....obviously there isnt much of a problem and therefore no need to ask. Just dont mix the methadone with any other drugs and take a low dose as you were taking until you can find a doc willing to prescribe it to you. Also know that a lot of people have died from drinking on methadone even when no other drugs are taken so I wouldnt even drink while on it because I know someone who took a 40mg wafer for the first time taking methadone and OD'd that night while at a party drinking.
October 27, 2008 - 8:21am
#12
solo5010
I was meaning that in general methadone is no more dangerous than other CII painkillers. I was totally unaware that there was now a black box warning label. You said that tis was the last step before being discontinued. Do you think that methadone is going to be taken off the market??
October 27, 2008 - 3:16pm
#13
The black box warning is
The black box warning is just to draw more attention to potential problems. This is a story I heard at a pain mgmt conference: When Oregon made methadone the only drug on the medicaid formulary for chronic pain that did not need prior authorization, there was an excess of prescription methadone related deaths because providers were unfamiliar with dosing methadone. If you start at 2.5 or 5 mg a day and increase by 2.5 or 5 mg increments three to five days apart, and do not use it in conjuction with benzodiazapines or a long list of other medications you will probably be OK.
October 27, 2008 - 8:22pm
#14
I was not trying to imply
I was not trying to imply that Methadone was going to be pulled off the market. Simply that modern medicine/science is proving that this really old (approved 1947, with certain FDA grandfather protections) medication may not be as safe as it was once thought to be. And because of this there is now a black box warning to assist doctors in prescribing this med. Is it possible that this med will be eventually pulled? Probably but not before propoxyphene.
October 29, 2008 - 10:04pm
#15
U must mean dependance?? Cuz
U must mean dependance?? Cuz there isnt any way you can tell if they are addicted or not by that post. They could be a victom of being severely UNDER prescribed!! This DOES indeed happen quit often..
October 29, 2008 - 10:21pm
#16
dependant
thank you i feel that's a much better word to describe the situation then addict.
It seems all I see is people becoming dependent on large doses early on in treatment....i hurt...i will ask for a increase when i go in on friday...i am no different then any other poster here...dr stopped my kadian and put me back on oxycodone..i need just a bit more...i am not taking much now...24 years ago i broke my back...2 surgeries...need another and cant have it due to some stupid adhesions...i am sorry for upsetting people earlier in this topic....maybe i just have too many druggies in the area messing with my outlook on the whole deal.....G.
I am not a Dr. I just play one on tv.
October 30, 2008 - 10:45am
#17
I believe the meds have a
I believe the meds have a hold on your psych, in that you believe that maybe say 6 percocets a day would not be enough for you. I am sure they would be. All you have to do is slowly taper until your tolerance goes back down and this only takes about a day or two. Cut the amount you are taking in half or so for like two days and this will tremendously help lower the amount you take. I think you can handle the little extra pain for a couple days becaue in the long run it will help cut your overall intake. I mean you dont want to be on that amount forever do you? You will eventually need an increase and so on and so on.... so try what I said if you like i think It will help decrease your tolerance.
October 30, 2008 - 3:18pm
#18
being called an addict!
I totally agree with you littlered 005, its terrible, that to me its a dirty word! To me id rather be called the truth, a dependent. Since 1988 i have had 4 back surguries, the last one was in 2000 and they went in thru the front of my abdomine and installed 4 titanium cages that were the largest they made but needed to be one size larger. I almost died from the last one after 48hrs i developed 2 very large blood clots in both lungs and if it wasnt for a alert nurse that asked me how i was doing and i told her it felt like a elephnt was sitting on my chest, so she checked my oxegen with that finger tester, my level was at 20% three and half weeks later i came home. Then endoured 10 weeks in a lower body cast. But i have permanate spinal nerve damage and i need to find another dr. because mine is retiring and im afraid that the new one will stop my norco 10/325 that i take 5 times daily for eight years. I get#150 for 30 days with 2 refills, my pain level stays around 4-5 with meds and allows me to live a decent life.I live in oregon close to portland, and like to talk to another poster on here i belive is called jackpdx. well im done misspeliing for know! TEE HEE!! but will keep reading on.
October 30, 2008 - 7:35pm
#19
I feel for you lilred
I am so sorry that you are going thru alot of pain,w/your back{lower-mid back,} i myself have had 7 back operations,i have a non working internal tens unit,plus i have 8 -12inch rods,as well as a full bar roll cage,and i take 90 percocets 10/325 a mo,1,- 10mg methadone only before bedtime,plus i also do flexaril 10 mg 1time a day,i sometimes like now that cooler weather is getting here i need more for the dang pain,i feel as if someone has a hot poker from the inside out on me,it was pure ???$* when i drove a 18 wheeler for living,and getting in &out of that truck really hurt me alot,so i had to stop,that was my dream job,but now that dream has to be over,but my life does'nt have to be,i do hope that you find a dr that believes what you are going thru and helps you alot,and don't worry what any one else thinks,only you and God can know what you are going thru,only God can judge you,so please don't worry ok,i also find that self meditation works good a well,if you can find you a quiet place and get comfortable and just zone in on some thing,i do that on a daily basis,and this helps not all the time maybe not even 1/4 of the time,but i do at least get a few minutes to think about my life and how i can make it better for me.PEACE,LOVE AND JOY TO Y'ALL I WISH THESE FOR ALL..oh ps my handle is really bandit
like you are very addicted by that your posts details...thats a awful lot of meds that you were on for what you have wrong imo. I am 100 percent sure that i have way more damage going on and I am only on 4-6 percocet 10s a day with some soma and gabapentin...my back fractured at 4 levels and compressed 40 percent at another at 18...thats 24 years of pain and i am lucky that some dr didnt get me all strung out on meds......
Find a dr who treats with methadone and good luck...taking drugs from friends can get you dead.
I am not a Dr. I just play one on tv.